Corey . Yes , sir , bro , I am so thrilled about what the Lord is doing through your life , through your ministry Me too , you are honestly one of my favorite people on the planet because of your passion for the Lord , your single-mindedness and man , your perseverance . I mean , you've been at this a long , long time .
Speaker 3I have , and I've got the battle scars to prove it . It all started here , though I mean just laying that all down . It all started right here , yeah , 2006 . I was a pastor five years in , had no clue how to share my faith with anybody . I was teaching it and preaching it . I was a flat-out hypocrite , and you guys turned me around . Wow , it's that simple .
Speaker 1So it was the academy , it was
the academy . Well , we're going to be talking about the power of leading by example in evangelism and , Corey , we're so blessed that you're part of this discussion and I think all of us at the table here can say that we are really byproducts of example . I mean , you know , Ray has been our example , us three here , and including you , Corey , obviously .
Speaker 1And obviously Ray had the example of the Word and what we see in the Word . Because , Ray , when you started open-air preaching , was there anyone doing it in New Zealand ?
Speaker 4No , Really I don't think there was open-air campaigners . I just knew , knew I had to do it and go into all the world preach the gospel . Every creature and the crowd gathered in local square . So I went in there and did it and , uh , I used to encourage myself when , when , uh , I felt alone and there was a lot of hecklers just yelling at me . So I walked back to my car . They're still yelling at me . When I walked back to my car and I thought I've got the privilege of preaching the everlasting gospel in the last days in the outermost part of the earth , in the city that bears the name of the Lord Christ Church , and that used to just give me courage . I'd go back the next day , but I just , I was so thankful for the opportunity .
Speaker 4That's really what it came from . I just so wanted to share the gospel and to think I got a crowd , or crowds of 60 , 80 , 100 people , sometimes with a good heckler 200 . When the wizard gave me his crowd , I thought this is just such a privilege .
Speaker 1Corey , you were a pastor and we often talk about how if pastors were to be that example . You know , I was talking to someone the other day and we were talking about how maybe in the whole world there's 100 hundred pastors that actually go out and evangelize and lead their people like senior pastors , sure Right , I'd love you to speak to that . Why don't we see ?
Speaker 3that more .
There's a lot of angles to that prism , I think . And one reason I believe is I think there's just a disconnect between leadership and evangelism . If we replaced evangelism with prayer , of course pastors go to prayer meetings , Pastors go to Sunday morning worship I was a pastor , you were a pastor . I mean we lead by example in all of these areas . But evangelism seems to be sort of open season for we don't have to do that . But that's not Paul's affection to young Pastor Timothy , I mean , do the work of an evangelist is on the same list . And so I think we need to rethink Hebrews 13 , 7, .
Speaker 3Imitate the faith of your leaders . Sadly , in a lot of churches I think that's exactly what's happening . That's not to be disrespectful to pastors . They've got a hard job , They've got a big job , They've got tons of plates spinning . But I kind of think evangelism is front and center to the reason Jesus came to seek and save the lost . So that has to be our priority as leaders and I think the heart of discipleship 1 Corinthians 11 , 1 , really strikes to be imitators of me as I am of Christ . Follow my example . Niv says , as I follow the example of Christ .
Speaker 1It awakens in us the realization like , hey , man , I'm made up of the same stuff they're made up of , especially when people share stories . You know I've had people share how encouraged they've been by hearing us share our stories of weakness , that we still deal with the fear of man , that we're still tempted to not evangelize , and when people realize that that it's not like we've attained some sort of superhero status and we're fearless , that gives them the sense like , oh , they're like me , they're doing it . What's the element that I need to continue to do it , ray ? What would you say ? That is , what is it Once you ?
Speaker 4realize . Evangelism is the essence of the whole New Testament . That's what it's all about God granting everlasting life to humanity , people sitting
in the shadow of death that were commanded to take the gospel and they did . And you think , how can anyone read the scripture and not see it ?
Speaker 4Like me not seeing B-dubs until I had one , until I owned one , and I think how can pastors go through Luke 15 and not come out the other side saying , wow , you know the sheep that was lost . He went out and brought it back . The woman who lost one coin it was so valuable to her . She did three things she lit a candle , she swept the house and she did it diligently . She lit a candle so she could see what she was doing and most of the church is in the dark when it comes to evangelism . They don't realize this is what they should be doing .
Speaker 4Then she swept the house . If you want to be used by God , sweep your house . Get rid of the dirt , present your body as a living sacrifice , holy and acceptable to God , which is your reasonable service . And then she searched diligently . And evangelism is something we should do diligently 24-7 , because people are going to hell . It should consume us Always abounding in the work of the Lord , for your labor is not in vain .
Speaker 3In the Lord , but I do agree that we have to abide always . It's all about that . It's all about persevering in prayer . It's all about being an example , not just in evangelism . If my theology of evangelism is it's the overflow of my life in Christ , my evangelism is actually my verbalization of my worship and witness and everything , then that should be everything that I am From my heart . I should be a whole life witness . I shouldn't be able to be attacked on that stand by the enemy for my credibility and my character . There should be a consistency between my walk and my talk in every category of life as a husband , as a father , as a servant at church , as a workplace missionary .
Speaker 2It is always our responsibility , as we go to the highways and the byways and the gutterways , to compel people to come , to point people to Christ . It is always the right time to speak up .
It is always the right time to have gospel tracks with you . We think we're going to the grocery store to pick up some food , but in reality you're going to be a light in the midst of darkness . You're going to that department store to pick up a clothing item a jacket , a sweatshirt , a pair of shoes but in reality you can be slipping gospel tracts into pockets and leaving the results to God . You go inside that restaurant . You get bad service and we demand to have good service , but in reality it's a great time to talk about grace to your server .
Speaker 2This is the only day that we have . Today's the day of salvation . Today's the day to prepare people for the last day , because we don't know when death is going to come knocking for any one of us . It comes knocking at an inopportune time . We're planning for tomorrow . Tomorrow may not come knocking back , so this is the right time . And when you think about the church now , conglomerately at large , what is the responsibility ? Yeah , we want to equip the church and the people that come to church to be inspired , to live better lives , to equip your kids to be whatever it may be . But if you're missing the idea of evangelism , you're missing the desire of Christ to seek and save that which is lost , and so we can't lose that .
Speaker 5Modern day
Christianity has lost a sense of what actual discipleship is . I think we've adopted an enlightened view of education and then imported that into what it means to disciple . So an enlightened view of education is formal , classroom-based . You go in for six weeks , you work for a grade and the ultimate goal is that you memorize a couple of answers so that you can pass a test . It's information over transformation Discipleship . On the other hand , if you look at the scriptures , it looks more like an apprenticeship . Right , you think about like a brain surgeon . They go to the same school , they get the same education , they have to pass the test . But we don't send brain surgeons out after they have the information to start slicing brains open . Instead , they go under a type of apprenticeship . For years they walk in other person's footsteps , they watch what they do and over time that person then stands over the shoulder of that new doctor and watches what he or she does until they're ready to be on their own . That is more what discipleship looks like . When Jesus called people and said come , follow me , he was asking them let me be your rabbi . Or I should say he was commanding them I will be your rabbi .
Speaker 5As leaders of churches . We should be bringing people into our lives , at our dinner tables , in our daily routines . When a pastor , an elder , when his routine in life is evangelistic in nature and then he invites the members of his church to witness that they are going to become evangelistic in nature . Mark , I just had a conversation with somebody , a young adult , and they were like man . Mark is like a father figure to me . I lived with him for almost a year . I'd go out with them every Friday . They didn't say to me I learned educationally from Mark how to be an evangelist . They said to me I followed him . I observed his life in the home , him at the dinner table , him raising his kids . I observed him being an evangelist in life and that has made an impact on my life . That's the kind of leaders that we need to raise up evangelists .
Speaker 1Paul said to Timothy . Therefore , be an example to the believers in love , speech , conduct , faith , purity and that word of can be translated as to as well , and I think it's interchangeable Be an example of what a believer should be and be an example to the other believers of what they should be right , whether it's to the world or to other Christians .
Speaker 2You know , to your guys's point , a lot of times leadership is more caught than taught , right Paul said imitate
me as I imitate Christ , and whether we say that or not , it is being spoken . Our lives are an unspoken language . You know Charles Spurgeon , the Baptist preacher , the Prince of Preachers , he said a man's life is always more forcible than his speech . When men take stock of him , they reckon his deeds as dollars and his words as pennies . So what we say with our words and with our actions is so much more powerful than what we actually say with our words . And so , surrounding yourself with people that are doing it right , that you can look up to . That's kind of Corey , right ?
Speaker 2Corey has grabbed a hold of that baton , whatever he experienced back in 2006-ish , right , and he is running his race with endurance , and every once in a while he needs to pause , like we all do , come aside and rest a while and get that adrenaline shot . And then he goes back to his hometown , to his jerusalem , and he's a light in the midst of that dark world there , right . And so we can't negate that the work that god is doing , both through cory and through the saints throughout the God doesn't want to just reach this area . How do we know that ? Because he has planted people in other areas . So let your light so shine among men that they may see your good works , and it brings glory to your Father in heaven , amen , amen .
Speaker 1Thank you for tuning in to this week's highlights from the Living Waters podcast . Friends , we value your time , so we've created a bite-sized version of our podcast for listeners who want to get equipped . Without the jokes and fellowship . Be sure to check out the full episode every Thursday where we dive deeper into the topic . Until then , you can watch the full podcast episode available now on livingwaterstv .